Bin collection lorries being 'obstructed' by trees and hedges

A MAJOR west of Ireland waste firm is refusing to service a village near Castlebar due to the fact that overhanging trees and bushes are 'obstructing' their collection vehicle.

The crux has arisen in the townland of Annagh - off the N5 (Castlebar to Westport road) -  some two to three miles from the county town.

Upwards of a dozen householders along the winding, two-mile or so cul de sac route are affected.

Now Barna Waste has delivered an ultimatum to its customers - if you don't get the overhanging trees and hedges cut back you will have to bring your bins elsewhere to be collected.

The company is insisting that today (Tuesday) will be the final collection day under the old system unless the disruptive greenery is cut back and branches removed.

However, the hands of Mayo County Council are tied in the matter. 

Local authorities are restricted by the fact that all local authorities are stymied from hedge cutting in the period March 1 to August 31.

This is to prevent damage to bird populations.

In recent weeks, Barna Waste customers on the Annagh route have received the following letter headed: 'Changes to your collection point.'

The letter outlines: 'Recently it has come to our attention that we are experiencing difficulty in providing a service on your collection day.

'The hedges and trees on the road are overgrown and are causing an obstruction to our vehicle when driving the road.

'Please could you arrange for the hedges and trees to be cut back or regretfully we must request that you bring out bins to the top of the road for them to be serviced. 

“Please find an enclosed map marking where to bring your bins.' 

A quick trip by a reporter from The Connaught Telegraph down the Annagh road at the weekend confirmed that the route is indeed thick with overhanging greenery, some of the branches which could damage windscreens and/or mirrors on a high sided vehicle.

At one spot along the route, the branches converge overhead into a dark tunnel.

One local resident, James (Jimmy) Doherty, says he believes the collection crux which Annagh now faces is not unique to the area.

'I believe residents in other areas similarly affected have been written to by the company,' he stated.

Mr. Doherty says that residents have been told by the council that if they want the trees and foliage cut back they will have to do so themselves.

However, if a community initiative to resolve the problem is undertaken, permission to cut branches would have to be obtained from individual landowners.

As regards Barna Waste's suggestion of a new pick-up point near the N5 at the head of the Annagh road, Mr. Doherty regards this 'solution' as unfeasible. 

'Residents would have to lug their bins to the top of the road to a single collection point, he explained.

 'I can't imagine that householders close to the collection point would take too kindly to a regular collection of possibly smelly bins on their doorstep,' Mr. Doherty added.

Meanwhile, Castlebar-based Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne has taken up the fight on behalf of the residents.

He explained: 'Several people from the area (Annagh) have contacted the municipal district offices over the past week and nothing has been done to resolve the situation.

'The service is due to finish on Tuesday. This is a most worrying and inconvenient state of affairs for the householders involved. 

'I am demanding that the matter receive urgent, immediate attention.

'I am appalled that residents who have to pay property tax along with their other taxes are now threatened with being denied a basic right, the collection of rubbish bins from the gates of their houses.

'Mayo is being hailed as one of the best places in the country in which to live. Hardly so if waste collection trucks cannot get to houses.'